Stand Erect
1st Sunday of Advent (C)
When Jesus teaches about the world’s ending, he calls to mind all types of calamity and disaster that can befall man: wars and insurrections; plagues and hardships; earthquakes and storms; eclipses and cosmic phenomena. And he says these are merely “signs” and “beginnings” (cf. Lk 21:25, 28). The ending of the world will be all that and more. Like the act of creation in the beginning, it is a mystery that can only be explained symbolically.
The key point he wishes to make is the terrifying nature of the event: “men will wither away for fear” (Lk 25:26), dying of fright. The helplessness of that day will be overwhelming.
Yet for his disciples who are prepared, they will stand erect and “lift up their heads” (Lk 25:28), because their redemption is at hand. That day is not the end but fulfillment, the true beginning.
It is the goal of the season of Advent to prepare for that day, and this in two ways. First by having a clear conscience, and second by vigilant prayer. The terror of that day is not what happens to the body through natural disaster, but what happens to the soul encountering the all-powerful God who made the world. To stand erect before God means having a clear conscience, living in the truth. This is achieved through confession and penance. By facing our sin now, fear is overcome. Fear of the Lord takes away fear of the final day.
In his mural of the Last Judgment, Michelangelo depicts the horror of the man whose world crumbles around him as he recognizes the truth of his life.
The second preparation is sober and vigilant prayer, asking God for the Holy Spirit’s Gift of fortitude. The saints have shown the power of this supernatural gift in the face of terrible persecutions and martyrdom, not cowering before evil, standing erect in the greater presence of God. Of all the saints, Mary exemplifies this attitude of faith and hope as she stands at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25). The ending of the world will not be a greater calamity than the Day when they killed the Son of God. It is to her that we look during this season of Advent as we look for the coming of the Lord. It is her comforting protection we invoke in our final hour.